♠ Posted by Marc J. Soss in elder law,estate plan,estate planning,florida estate planning,florida probate attorney,florida probate lawyer,Last Will and Testament,Revocable Trust,Sarasota attorney,Sarasota Tax Attorney at Wednesday, September 09, 2015
If you think that using your frequent flyer miles is a hassle while you are alive, it is even worse when you are dead. In the Florida probate area a frequent question is can I inherit a decedents frequent flyer miles. Some of the big North American lines specifically address the issue of transfer to heirs (and divorced spouses) in their frequent flyer membership rules:
Air Canada: Miles or rewards are personal and
cannot be assigned, traded, willed or otherwise transferred.
American: Neither accrued mileage, nor award
tickets, nor upgrades are transferable by the member (i) upon death, (ii) as
part of a domestic relations matter, or (iii) otherwise by operation of law.
However, American Airlines, in its sole discretion, may credit accrued mileage
to persons specifically identified in court approved divorce decrees and wills
upon receipt of documentation satisfactory to American Airlines and upon
payment of any applicable fees.
Jet Blue: Accrued points and award travel do not
constitute property of member and are non-transferable (i) upon death, (ii) as
part of a domestic relations matter, or (iii) otherwise.
United: Neither accrued mileage nor
certificates are transferable (i) upon death, (ii) as part of a domestic
relations matter, or (iii) otherwise by operation of law.
Southwest: Their frequent flyer program rules have
nothing to say about the subject one way or the other.
Even the airlines that allow transfer are pretty specific about who can
claim the miles. You must be either a "surviving spouse" or mentioned
as an heir in the deceased member's Will.
